After the fight, the Altoan explorers were stripped of their equipment and thrown out into the wilderness beyond the building.

Passing monsters would probably devour their corpses before long, leaving not a trace.

Just as they had intended to do to Green Eyes.

While sorting through the robbers’ scant belongings, Shan called over to Roden, who was tending to his sword.

“Roden, could you take a look at this?”

“What is it?”

“I think it’s an expedition journal, but I can’t read it.”

Roden accepted the little booklet and immediately understood why Shan had found it difficult to read. Not only was the handwriting atrocious, but the letters were scrawled together as though written in haste, with every sort of abbreviation commonly used among explorers thrown in for good measure.

This required deciphering, not reading.

After staring down the writing for a while, Roden finally passed it to Zerpo, the mage and the cleverest among them.

It was not long before Zerpo deciphered the contents and let out an exclamation.

“Aha...!”

“Did you find something?”

“Yes. For a start, I know why they ambushed us.”

According to the journal, the Altoan expedition had run into trouble on its previous outing as well and had borrowed a considerable sum of money. That was why they had pushed themselves to travel so far north this time.

“They were already drowning in debt, and then along came a party half their size, with two horses carrying a respectable load—and one of its members was a child... On top of that, as a mage, I was bound to have plenty of expensive catalysts. Little risk, guaranteed profit. I’m not saying I sympathize, but I can see why they lost their heads.”

Laid out like that, it did sound almost as though they had set a trap, practically begging to be preyed upon.

Of course, if even one of those explorers had seen Shan fight in Shedil, they would never have tried it. But none of them had known.

“They also seem to have excavated a rather promising Altoan ruin to the north. A large site, with more than they could carry away in one trip. If they robbed us and used the proceeds to finance just one more visit, they could have made a handsome profit.”

Selling the ruin’s location to someone else was another option, but that would have meant forfeiting an enormous sum.

In the end, their inability to rein in their greed had led them to their deaths.

“An Altoan ruin.”

Roden murmured at the unexpected news. To think a lead on something countless explorers yearned to discover even once would fall into their laps like this.

“Does it say how far away it is?”

“I can’t decipher all of the writer’s notation, so I’m not certain, but we would probably have to go as far again as we did on this expedition.”

“That’s a long way...”

At that distance, they would surely have to leave behind a considerable portion of the spoils from any monsters they hunted. They would need to carry far more food and other supplies.

It was time to discuss their options: sell the information to another expedition, or attempt the excavation themselves.

Since the ruins lay to the north, they would also have to accept the risk of interference from the Kingdom of Ajun’s crusaders.

“I want to go.”

Shan, who had been listening quietly, offered his opinion.

An Altoan ruin might contain a decent enchanted weapon or piece of armor. Something permanently imbued with magic, rather than equipment that needed mages to renew its enchantments...

The thought of owning equipment even better than that of the royal guard knights he had once gazed at in wonder was truly intoxicating.

“I agree.”

True to his calling as a mage, Zerpo’s eyes shone with curiosity about the Altoan relics.

“Hmm.”

Priest Vent, by contrast, looked less than pleased. Their current haul was already more than enough to help support the monastery for a while, and he did not want to take the risk.

Still, the circumstances were too favorable to back out now. They knew the ruins’ location, and they had a warrior on par with a high-ranking knight accompanying them.

He was getting on in years, and every expedition left his joints aching. Perhaps this was a good opportunity to earn enough to retire from the business altogether.

“All right. Let’s go.”

The decision did not take long.

As everyone celebrated their agreement, Vent suddenly fixed his gaze on Roden and spoke.

“By the way, Roden.”

“Yes, Father?”

“Have you perhaps never killed anyone before?”

“Pardon?”

“I noticed you trembling quite badly earlier. You know Shan’s abilities well, and you’re a capable fighter yourself. I couldn’t think of any other reason for it.”

In fact, Roden had never killed anyone. A man who trembled at the mere sight of a blade could hardly get into anything more serious than a fistfight.

Vent’s guess was close, though not quite the truth. After briefly wondering how to answer, Roden decided to reveal his secret willingly.

Until now, he could get away with saying he had not told them because they had never asked. But if he concealed it here and the truth came out later, the resulting sense of betrayal would be difficult to mend.

All the more so now that they were about to undertake something important.

“Actually, there is something I need to tell you about that.”

Roden confessed honestly to the two men: whenever a blade was pointed at him, he became so terrified that he did not know what to do.

The two exchanged a glance at this unexpected revelation.

“So that was it. Well, better to learn now. It could have thrown us into quite a panic if we’d found out in real danger.”

“You seem able to use a kitchen knife yourself. Does it only happen when someone else points one at you? And it’s the same when monsters are holding them...?”

Roden was inwardly taken aback by Vent’s easy acceptance and Zerpo’s scholarly curiosity.

Hadn’t one of their companions concealed a serious flaw in his ability as a warrior? They would have been more than justified in getting angry or demanding a revision to the distribution of spoils.

When he said as much, Vent answered with a hearty laugh.

“Yours is a fairly serious case, but everyone has a flaw or two. Compared to someone with a bad habit of stealing, or who can’t fight without a drink, it’s tolerable enough.”

“Well, to be honest, we do have Shan.”

As Zerpo said, Shan was a major reason the two men could take Roden’s weakness in stride.

When that young warrior could single-handedly slaughter an entire seasoned expedition, one companion being unable to fight in the face of blades hardly counted as a flaw.

“Please keep this a secret.”

“We will.”

“Don’t worry. Mages are accustomed to keeping secrets.”

Neither of them wanted to expose Roden’s secret needlessly and break up the expedition.

* * *

After several days’ march, Green Eyes returned to Shedil and immediately became the talk of the city.

They had already gained fame through Shan’s spectacular display in the square, of course. What mattered now was that the attention had shifted to their exceptional abilities as explorers.

“Huh, isn’t that a werewolf hide?”

“I heard this was their first expedition. Impressive.”

“Honestly, they were gone so long I thought something had happened to them.”

Most expeditions merely skimmed the fringes of the Demonlands on their first outing before returning. With no information to guide them and little experience of where monsters congregated or how to fight them, they exhausted their supplies in wasteful battles.

Green Eyes, however, had returned with a haul that plainly suggested they had ventured quite deep inside.

They did have two veterans in Vent and Zerpo, but both only joined other expeditions briefly when needed. Their influence could not have been that great.

“Are you taking any more members?”

“I’m quite confident in my archery...”

“I know a secret route no one else does!”

Several people tried to slip into their ranks, but Shan and Roden recruited no one else. They were about to excavate a ruin; adding members now would only reduce everyone’s share.

A small party had its inconveniences, of course, but Shan’s extraordinary fighting strength alone could solve a great many of them. The expedition journal they had acquired would help resolve several of the remaining problems.

All the proceeds from this expedition went into a common fund to purchase the necessary supplies. Besides buying two more horses to carry their cargo, they purchased several magical tools that were useful for exploration but had previously been too expensive.

“Ah, do we really have to buy this...?”

Magical tools were so expensive that even Roden, a rich man’s son, squeezed his eyes shut as he muttered those words.

There was a reason expeditions sometimes went bankrupt.

While Roden worked tirelessly day and night as usual, Shan spent his time at leisure, just as he always did.

Of course, he continued training regularly to keep himself in shape. He no longer needed to push himself to the point of abuse, but he knew better than anyone how quickly the body weakened once one grew idle.

An unexpected visitor arrived while Shan was taking his time warming up in the inn’s yard as usual.

“It’s been a while, my Altoan friend.”

“Oh, you’re the man from...”

His visitor was the guard he had once sparred with using wooden swords—a skilled fighter whom Shan suspected was a former explorer.

“I’ve been hearing all sorts of stories. Quite a good haul, I understand?”

“Not bad.”

“Everyone’s amazed. Your skill at your age is one thing, but to be successful as an explorer too!”

A powerful warrior was not necessarily a good explorer. Exploring the Demonlands required skills such as finding the right route and allocating supplies properly, just as much as the ability to fight monsters.

Shan left all of that to Roden, of course, but to outsiders unaware of the truth, those accomplishments were part of Shan’s abilities as well.

Above all, Roden simply did not look as though he would be that clever.

“More importantly, someone wishes to see you.”

“Who?”

Someone important enough to give orders to a guard was probably a prominent figure in the city. An administrator, perhaps?

But the person in question was more important than Shan had expected.

“The master of this city.”

“Oh, the count... I mean, His Excellency the Count?”

“That’s right.”

Then naturally, refusal was not an option. If a mere commoner—and an Altoan at that—turned down a count’s invitation, he could expect a furious noble raging over the insult to his dignity.

Shan wanted to consult Roden, but he had left the inn early to procure supplies and had long since gone.

After a moment’s thought, Shan nodded.

“All right. I’ve been sweating quite a bit. Should I wash before I go?”

“That much is no trouble.”

Shan washed thoroughly and changed into fresh clothes. Then, after a brief hesitation, he unfastened the sword he had buckled at his waist.

The count was unlikely to let him carry a sword into his presence anyway. If a fight broke out, it seemed better simply to seize a nearby enemy’s weapon.

Naturally, he would prefer not to fight the count at all, but his own reluctance was no guarantee that the other man felt the same.

Unaware that Shan was privately considering how to take the count hostage and escape the city if fighting broke out, the guard led him to the count’s castle.

Count Shedil’s castle stood against the outer city wall rather than in the center. The city had grown from what was originally a small fortress, gradually expanding around it.

As Shan passed through the castle gate, eyes turned toward him, seeming to ask, Who is that fellow, and why is he here?

Apparently, the count was not normally much given to inviting guests.

Shan’s first impression upon entering the castle courtyard was that it was surprisingly plain.

‘I thought all nobles lived in incredible luxury.’

Even Kalion Wievers, who was not a noble, lived as though he had gathered every luxury in the world around him.

By comparison, Count Shedil’s castle was austere and practical, to put it kindly. To be blunt, it was shabby. It was hard to believe its owner had amassed a vast fortune selling huge quantities of monster materials and Altoan relics through the explorers’ guild every year.

As Shan mulled this over, a stern-looking middle-aged man approached him with a disapproving expression.

“Are you Shan? The Altoan explorer?”

“Yes, I am.”

Judging by his clothes, the man was an administrator in the count’s service. That would make him at least a member of the minor nobility—a knight bachelor.

When Shan observed the proper formalities, the man looked surprised. Among explorers, those who knew their manners were generally priests or mages. Apart from a very few exceptions, the warriors were an ignorant lot who could not even read.

“Hmm. It seems I needn’t worry quite so much about you being rude to His Excellency... Still, to be safe, remember everything I tell you. Understood?”

“I will bear it in mind.”

“Don’t forget a word, unless you want your head cut off!”

In fact, everything the administrator told him was something he already knew: do not meet the count’s eyes without permission, always kneel on the right knee in his presence, and so on.

Even after going over it all, he had to wait nearly another thirty minutes before he could see the count.

‘What a nuisance. Honestly...’

He had once harbored ambitions of becoming more than a knight—of becoming a noble and a lord. Yet now that he was actually experiencing noble society’s elaborate formalities, he already felt sick of them.

A short while later, Shan entered the reception room and stopped about six steps below the chair where the count sat. He lowered himself crisply onto one knee and paid his respects.

Thanks to Sir Darkal and Roden’s tireless instruction, along with his natural athletic ability, the movement had all the precise elegance of a blade.

“Shan the Altoan pays his respects to His Excellency the Count, master of Shedil and shield of Pendia.”

“You’ve been taught rather well. Is this that jeweler’s handiwork?”

The voice from above was a phlegmy growl that put Shan in mind of a beast.

When Shan remained silent, the count clicked his tongue.

“Raise your head. You have leave to answer.”

Only then could Shan raise his head and look at the count for the first time.

Count Shedil appeared to be about fifty. He was tall and broad-framed, lending credence to the claim that he had been a knight in his youth. Whatever he might once have been, however, he had now grown so fat that he looked ill-suited to fighting as a warrior.

Shan quietly regarded the count, who wore the arrogant air of an old bear, before answering his earlier question.

“If by the jeweler you mean Kalion Wievers, then yes.”

“I crippled that old man’s operations and drove him out once. Now I hear his whelp has brought a swordsman here. I thought you might be an assassin, so I invited you over.”

Roden had told Shan that Count Shedil had once expelled Kalion’s trading company from Shedil.

Strictly speaking, he had driven out everyone dealing in magic stones at the time, not just Kalion. Roden had said there was probably nothing personal about it. Judging by the count’s words now, however, there seemed to be far more ill will than expected.

“I came to this city only to work as an explorer.”

“Yes, I hear you’ve done quite well. I’ve received the reports.”

Between that and his immediate knowledge of the identity of Shan’s companion, Roden, the count seemed to have a firm grip on the city’s information, as befitted a man of power.

Then again, he owned the explorers’ guild. It was only natural that he would be well informed about explorers.

“I hear you caused a disturbance in the square with a sword... Hm. This sort of beating around the bush never did suit me. I’ll speak plainly. They say you’re a better swordsman than most knights. I want to see your skill.”

At the unexpected demand, Shan narrowed his eyes and looked around. Judging by the bearing of the two knights beside the count and the other soldiers, they did not seem about to attack him immediately.

“A sparring match?”

“Yes. Against a knight. Don’t tell me you lack confidence?”

Shan considered the count’s question for a moment.

Should he answer confidently? Or would it be better to tuck his tail between his legs and act meek?

It was difficult to judge why the count suddenly wanted to test him, or whether he bore ill will toward the Wievers family and Roden. If Roden had been beside him, he could at least have given him some hint of how to answer...

After a brief deliberation, Shan decided on his answer. Without Roden beside him, it would be better to do as he pleased than attempt complicated political calculations he had no idea how to make.

Besides, he already resented the count’s attitude. So what if the man was a noble? Summoning him on a whim and demanding to see his skill made Shan want to take him down a peg.

He had wanted to face a proper knight for some time, too.

If things really went wrong, he could put a sword to the count’s throat and flee. Something would work out.

“If you will allow me a sword, I can fight anyone.”

“Confident, aren’t you? Good! Sir Gowell.”

“Yes, Your Excellency.”

The knight standing to the count’s left stepped forward at the command. Clad from head to toe in plate armor, with a longsword at his waist, he cut a truly imposing figure.

The contrast was all the sharper because Shan stood opposite him in ordinary cloth garments, with only a coat to keep out the cold.

“Your sword.”

A guard beside him offered a longsword that looked plainly inferior to the knight’s weapon.

No—few ordinary longswords could have compared with it. Unfamiliar letters were engraved down the center of Sir Gowell’s blade, glowing faintly.

‘A magical device...’

Mages did not go to the trouble of engraving a weapon merely to place a temporary enchantment on it. This had to be a relic passed down from the days of the old Alto Empire.

Such things were usually heirlooms of a few ancient noble or knightly houses. Was it because the count was a noble on the Demonlands’ frontier that he could bestow such treasures even on his retainers?

Shan did not know what enchantment it bore, but if his mediocre longsword clashed against it, his blade would probably snap clean in two.

Full plate armor against cloth, a powerful enchanted sword against a low-grade iron blade—the overwhelming disparity in equipment smacked of malice.

“Then let us begin.”

The moment the count’s words started the match, the knight charged straight at Shan. Unlike an ordinary warrior’s, his movements were controlled and polished, as befitted someone who had devoted his entire life to martial training.

His technique fell somewhat short of Sir Darkal’s, but he was clearly several levels above Sir Katra, whom Shan had met on the troll hunt.

Taking into account his excellent physical abilities and the fact that he was in his prime, he was the finest fighter Shan had encountered after Feonil.

Shan watched the sword rise high and come sweeping down, then calmly raised his own blade to meet it.

He caught the opposing edge with the stronger section near his own sword’s hilt, imbuing it with an even firmer spirit.

He could see the knight’s dismay when his enchanted sword, reinforced with spirit as well, failed to break Shan’s old iron blade.

With a gap in skill already between them, that moment of hesitation made the outcome a foregone conclusion.

Shan’s sword slid up the enchanted blade and darted through the eye slit of the knight’s helmet.